LEWISTON — The city is nearing the start of major upgrades to the riverfront and Simard-Payne Memorial Park worth more than $5 million, likely to be set in motion during budget talks this spring.

The City Council is being asked to provide $150,000 toward the projects that have already received federal funding. If approved during upcoming budget deliberations the projects will begin in late 2026, Nate Libby, director of economic and community development, said.

The list of projects, including a community pavilion in the park and overlooks and steps down to the canal along Oxford Street, are part of the city’s Riverfront Island Master Plan, which was updated in 2023.

City leaders are hoping to encourage more recreational use on the riverfront, but also new economic activity to capitalize on the coming development of Maine MILL, which stands for Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor.

In early 2024, the city received nearly $4 million in federal funding toward the improvements.

The city’s focus and belief in the area’s importance has been clear, including its takeover of the annual balloon festival. On Friday, Councilor Josh Nagine put it simply, “Riverfront revitalization is the future of the city.”

“(The Riverfront Island Master Plan) will change Lewiston’s look and feel through thoughtful and sustainable investment,” he said. “It will also stabilize and increase our tax base.”

Nagine said the upgrades are part of keeping up with redevelopment in the area, including the new Picker House lofts and more housing coming for the Continental Mill.

“The investments we have already committed to need to move forward in concert with private redevelopment efforts this year,” he said.

The council will be asked to approve $150,000 for riverwalk amenities and landscaping as part of the Continental Mill redevelopment, but the remaining funding stems from funds secured last year by members of Maine’s congressional delegation.

“(The) $150,000 from Lewiston taxpayers to leverage $5.08 million in federal funds is a good deal for the city,” Libby said.

Mayor Carl Sheline said Friday that the projects “will result in meaningful development that will benefit not only Lewiston but also the entire state.”

“Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine and our summer events draw tens of thousands of visitors to Simard-Payne Park that generate a positive economic impact for the entire state,” he said.

The federal funds will pay for a $1.18 million extension of Beech Street; a $1.1 million community pavilion and a $2.7 million Oxford Street canal project.

According to a previous funding announcement, the Beech Street improvements will provide better access to Simard-Payne Memorial Park and the future Maine MILL. It will also fund water and stormwater infrastructure needed to redevelop the area, increased public parking for the park, and will complete a pedestrian pathway for connections from the riverwalk into the park and the pedestrian bridge to New Auburn.

The design for the community pavilion in the park is being finalized by the city’s consultant, VIEWSHED, a landscape architecture and planning firm based in Yarmouth. One image presented to the council last month showed a pavilion with a stage covered by shade sails that would be removed in the winter.

The canal steps project is meant to bring more public access and use to the canal system running through the riverfront. Options include building overlooks over a section of the canal next to the park, and/or steps down to the water that could provide access for kayaking in the summer and skating during the winter.

Libby said the timeline for all three projects is fall 2026 to spring 2027.

Next year’s Capital Improvement Plan also proposes $500,000 in spending for structural and operational repairs and upgrades to the 175-year-old canal system.

Other proposed capital projects for next year include a $1.25 million Public Works vehicle and equipment wash facility; $1 million for street maintenance; and  $940,000 for a new security fence at the Franklin Pasture Athletic Complex.